Bad Breath Product

A trip to a community pharmacy or a quick Google of the internet will quickly reveal the truth: there are myriad types of bad breath product on the market today and they all claim to be the answer to halitosis. A savvy consumer has to spend some time and do a little research to find out what, if anything, is really likely to help. Fortunately, there is more information, and more professional help available than ever before.

First, understanding where the bad smell is coming from will help to understand how to treat bad breath. To put it simply, most cases of stubborn halitosis are caused by volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) produced by bacteria living primarily on the back of the tongue. These bacteria are anaerobes, that is, they live where there is no oxygen. As a by product of their metabolic processes, they release VSC into the air and you exhale them in your breath. It's likely that everybody has some of these bacteria living in their mouth, but some people obviously have more than others. An effective bad breath product will get rid of large numbers of these VSC-producing bacteria somehow.

This is not really news: we realized that bacteria have something to do with halitosis a long time ago, and mouthwashes formulated to treat bad breath have long contained antibacterial substances. The trouble is that even when the antibacterial ingredient is effective, it doesn't always reach the bacteria - it only kills some of them, and they multiply quickly enough that bacterial populations in the mouth return to high levels very quickly. The fact that halitosis tends to be chronic has inspired new types of bad breath product, and caused people to dig into the causes of bad breath even more deeply - why do some people have so many VSC-producing anaerobes in the first place?

There are probably a number of different situations that lead to proliferation of anaerobes in the mouth. Poor oral hygiene is the most obvious but this probably not as common as most of us believe. Some underlying health problems can be to blame, as can gum disease, post nasal drip and sinus problems. For some people, however, the underlying cause remains elusive. In many cases, diet and lifestyle may be the answer.

There's still a lot we don't know, but the good news is that today there is more research investigating how to best treat bad breath. There is also a greater variety of bad breath product backed by research and experience that can be used to treat a persistent case of halitosis.
Read the information provided with any potential bad breath product to see whether its activity is aimed at reducing the numbers of bacteria that cause bad breath. Choose a product whose approach makes sense to you and use as directed. If you're not happy with the results, try something different. And see if you can identify the root cause of your halitosis. If you can get rid of those anaerobes permanently, you won't have to continually treat bad breath.